There is a continued need for medication packages that are child resistant and specifically resistant to children that bite or otherwise use their fingers to gain access to potentially harmful medication. In addition, there is also a desire to have medication packages that allow the average adult to see the medication contained in the package but retain an acceptable or aesthetic visual appearance after multiple medicaments have been removed from the package. There is also a need to make this type of package economical to manufacture.
Over the years, a wide variety of disposable medication packages have been suggested which are accessible through a variety of folding, stripping, rupturing, peeling, and/or tearing procedures. These packages have typically been formed of transparent top layers which are sealed or otherwise bonded to backing layers in a manner which provides a cavity, pouch or “blister” in which the medicament resides. The top and backing layers may be formed of flexible packaging materials, rigid thermoformable plastic materials, foil, paper, laminates, or combinations thereof. Medicament cavities formed between such layers have been accessed by tearing into them from an edge of the package, which tearing may or may not be facilitated through the provision of a starting notch or slit, or by simply pushing on the blister until the medicament breaks through the backing layer. Alternatively, these cavities may be accessed by stripping a backing layer from the package to expose the cavity, or to expose a push-through underlayer. In other instances, the backing layer is made of foil that can be ruptured when the medication in the blister is pushed against the backing layer. Generally, these packages are tamper evident, but typically not child resistant. Other medication packages require some form of peeling of the bottom surface from the top surface to get access to the medication.
Child resistant medication packages that have blisters have been in use for some time, however, as is too often the case, “child resistant” simply means that many people who do not have sufficient motor skills, finger strength, or whose hands shake are not able to easily gain access to the medicament in such packages. Children, however, do not generally limit themselves to the use of their fingers to open containers or packages. Usually after failing to open an object, children readily resort to more destructive methods to overcome child resistant features. For smaller packages, or for features that are accessible, for example, a blister containing a pill, children will use their teeth to destroy a protective barrier. This can be a problem especially when the protective, child-resistant features of the package are small enough to allow a child to place the protective barrier in their mouth.
There is a need for a medication package that is relatively easy to open for an adult, but still child resistant. Further, the package must remain visually appealing after several medicaments have been removed. And furthermore, the package must be easy to manufacture without having to introduce custom machinery, so that the package remains economical. The present invention has accomplished these needs by creating a medication package that does not require fine motor skill functions, such as pinching and peeling. The present invention is relatively easy to open by application of substantially orthogonal pressure on the medicament blister, retains its visual appeal after multiple uses, and yet will substantially fend off direct biting assaults made by children.